DCLM Daily Manna Tuesday 21 March 2023
TOPIC: Self-Proclaimed Prophets
Text: Jeremiah 14:13-22 (KJV)
13 Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.
14 Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.
15 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed.
16 And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them.
17 Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow.
18 If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! yea, both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not.
19 Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul lothed Zion? why hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? we looked for peace, and there is no good; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble!
20 We acknowledge, O Lord, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee.
21 Do not abhor us, for thy name’s sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us.
22 Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O Lord our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things.
KEY VERSE
“Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed.”
(Jeremiah 14:15)
DCLM Daily Manna Tuesday 21 March 2023 MESSAGE
A society runs into severe straits the moment it abandons the truth and replaces it with the message of false prophets. That was the problem Judah had in the days of Jeremiah. While he preached exactly what God asked him to tell the people, there were other teachers who announced themselves as God’s messengers. Unfortunately, they got the attention of the unstable minds of the people and landed themselves in trouble.
There were fatal consequences for this national departure from the counsel of God. There was first famine and drought that would wipe out the gains of the past. Then came the prophecy of war which would bring untold suffering on Jerusalem and its inhabitants, whereas the false religious leaders had contradicted Jeremiah that Judah would not experience war. Obviously, the unrighteous prophets had misled the people, while the citizens were also at fault by listening to them.
When the sword is drawn out to punish such a land, neither the lying prophets nor the people with itching ears will be spared. The people cannot blame the deceptive leaders for their sin, because they have the Bible and the Jeremiahs of their time to listen to. Yet, they repeatedly ignore them. The lying prophets are as culpable; they will also be judged.
What the Lord expects from the messengers He has given His Word is faithfulness in obeying the commandments therein and teaching the people the Word without adulteration. And as the hearers get the message, their part is to accept it wholeheartedly, not giving room to unscriptural interpretation of the doctrines. When we arrive at this stage of the two parties being on the same spiritual page, there will be no space for false teachers upstaging the truth.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Error and heresy thrive when those who have the truth are silent.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deuteronomy 1-3
